BONE HEALTH: Young women could benefit from not taking the 7-day break (Pic: GETTY STOCK)

PERIOD PAIN: Women who suffer might not need to after all (Pic: GETTY STOCK)

“How could it be that for 60 years we have been taking the pill in a sub-optimal way because of this desire to please the Pope?”

Prof Guillebaud

Prof Guillebaud added: “How could it be that for 60 years we have been taking the pill in a sub-optimal way because of this desire to please the Pope?”

The report published on January 16 said axing the hormone-free interval “could theoretically reduce the risk of escape ovulation”.

Symptoms such as “headache, pelvic pain, bloating and breast tenderness” were also more frequent during the pill-free break, it stated.

And teenage girls taking the pills back-to-back were found to have similar bone density to those not taking any hormonal contraceptives, whereas teenage girls on the traditional 21/7 regimen had “significantly” reduced bone density.

CROC CONTRACEPTIVE: Ancient people used the reptile's dung (Pic: GETTY)

The one in ten women suffering from endometriosis were also more likely to benefit from continuous use, it found.

But the report noted there is not “conclusive evidence” of back-to-back use being more effective at preventing pregnancies.